The Dream Sequence
by GinaDarling
Summary: She didn’t know him. She’d never seen him before in her life. But every night she stood and watched the blood blossom from the center of his chest. Every night she watched him die. Arty/OC and OC/OC. You love it.


**Author's Note: I know, I know. I should really finish my other 65 (exaggeration) stories before starting a new one, but when I have an idea I just have to run with it. This one popped into my head a couple of weeks ago when I read the latest Artemis Fowl installment and then proceeded to go back to my greatly abused copies of the other books and reread them for the someteenth time. Also, I forced my bestest friend Haylee to read them so she's in on this little sucker too. We bounced ideas off of each other for a while and then we each picked a character to write and just hopped to. This is what we came up with so far. It's just a prologue, but hey, why not?**

**Oh and P.S. We do not own Artemis Fowl. He is definitely NOT locked in a cell made of parts from Opal Koboi's epic stealth shuttle in my basement. :)**

Prologue: Two of a Mind

_She's been wishing on the stars that shine so bright,  
For answers to the questions that will haunt her tonight._

Schuyler McKinley was having nightmares again. They had happened once before, these nightmares that weren't nightmares. The first time she'd ignored them and still had not gotten over the guilt. This time she had no idea what to do because well…she had no idea _who_ she was dreaming about.

It was the same dream every night. She stood in an unfamiliar place, everything fuzzy except for the figure of a dark-haired young man. Sky knew what was going to happen. She'd seen it over and over again for a month. The first few dreams he'd been just as blurry as his surroundings, but each time his features grew clearer until she could even make out that he had two different color eyes. She didn't know him. She'd never seen him before in her life. But every night she stood and watched the blood blossom from the center of his chest. Every night she watched him die.

And every morning she woke up with a terrible stomachache. It took Schuyler several minutes to even recognize her surroundings when she opened her eyes because she had to wait for the piercing pain to fade. When it finally did she was always able to recall the dream, but she could never get his name. But, oh, had she tried. She was always trying. Opening her mouth to ask with no words coming out, trying to walk towards him but unable to move. She could only watch, horrified, as the deep crimson spread across his button-down shirt like a spring flower opening to greet the sun. He would fall to the ground, and she would wake up.

Imogene McKinley, so far unaware of the chaos going on in the mind of her twin sister, would jump on her as soon as her eyes were open. The troubled teen was very good at hiding her little problem. At least, she _thought_ she was. It was a relief to her, in a small way. The last thing Sky wanted was for her sister to find out she was having nightmares again. Imogene, being one whole day older than her twin, tended to play mom. It was something Schuyler normally loved about her sister, but she didn't want to worry her. Instead, she chose to keep the nightmares a secret, hoping they would go away with time.

But they didn't. Weeks passed with the same exact thing every night. Schuyler was growing more and more exhausted as the days passed. Sleep, when she got it, was never restful. All her waking hours were spent studying and doing homework. Somehow, Sky had managed to keep her grade point average above the minimum for St. Catherine's, but she was not doing as well as she could. When she wasn't plagued by nightmares she was able to maintain a perfect 4.0. Nowadays she was lucky to keep it at 3.5. She was disappointed with herself and also endlessly frustrated by her dreams. How could she deal with them if she didn't even know who she was dreaming about?

In some ways she was jealous of Imogene. Her quirk was not quite as hard to deal with. All she had to do was draw. And, sure, it's frustrating to constantly be sketching symbols you don't understand, but Schuyler would prefer that to witnessing someone's death over and over and waking up every morning in pain. It was just as frustrating to not be able to do anything about it.

This dream gave her nothing to work with. She couldn't even send a cryptic warning.

Sky tried to avoid telling her sister or worse, her great aunt, but she knew it was inevitable. Aunt Al was the only person in her family who understood what Schuyler was going through, because she was the only one who had experienced it herself. She'd even known when they first started, though Sky hadn't said anything. Aunt Al had simply walked up to her at her parent's anniversary party and said, "Don't ignore them." That was it. _Great,_ Sky thought as she recalled the memory. _Thanks a lot, Aunt Al._ It hadn't been much in the way of advice, and now… Just thinking about it made her head ache. Her dreams, she hated. Her aunt, she endured. These were the reasons why she tried to will the dreams away- so she could continue avoiding both.

The very last thing Sky wanted to do was deal with her nightmares. There was nothing she loathed more. Actually, that was not necessarily true. She hated herself a great deal, ever since what had happened three months earlier. Regardless, Schuyler did not want to dream about people dying and she definitely did not want to flunk out of school while trying to figure out how to find someone who would probably call her crazy and slam the door in her face anyway.

She should have known, of course, that you can't escape what's in your blood. She would have to deal with her nightmares, sooner or later.

…

_My burning sun will someday rise,  
Whether it brings hell or heaven, I am still unaware. _

Imogene McKinley was not happy. In fact, she was rather annoyed. Her normally placid, caring and gentle features were replaced by a stony expression and harsh jerks. Indeed, she might burst into tears or a screaming fit at this very moment! Oh the wonders of estrogen. But what is the cause of such emotion? More on that in a moment.

Imogene always had a good intuition. She knew when a bad storm was coming, when someone was lying, or which way to go on a forked road. Many people told her she was sharp and intelligent, but she knew better than to believe such compliments. Imogene knew that, while she held a satisfactory intellect, her advanced insight was really a side effect to her true power.

Now before you roll your eyes and walk away, take a second to hear out this girl's truth. Ever since a young age Imogene had the uncanny ability to draw the future. Yes, draw. If you took a second to observe this bizarre creature, you would notice how she has a frequent notion of spacing out; once resurfacing to reality, the girl will search for a writing utensil and a scrap of paper before any other actions can take place. She sometimes draws a setting, an occurrence, or a single scene from any sort of future situation; every piece is always accompanied by odd symbols.

When Imogene first began her artistic endeavors, she thought nothing of the subject matter. But after closely analyzing her pieces against her own memories and current news clippings, she came to discover the premonitions behind her artwork. Every single one of her drawings was a future event that happened in actuality.

Now what would cause a young woman with such a fascinating ability to hold anger in her heart? Well, it is not a simple matter. Let one begin by informing you that Imogene has a twin sister: Schuyler McKinley. While the more maternal Imogene was born a full day before Schuyler, there is no denying that they are two halves of the same person. Schuyler also has an ability, and it is currently the source of Imogene's disgruntled state. Why, you might ask (my, you are full of questions!). The answer lies in Schuyler's power, which is to see the future in her dreams. Before you ask any more questions, please allow for another explanation.

Imogene had noticed the change in her twin's emotional state. Schuler was not fiery and spunky like usual, she had been reduced to a paranoid and quiet disposition, she was even having a hard time at school. And, she was having dreams, future telling dreams; Imogene had no doubt about it. Every early morning was different: some mornings she woke up shaking or with tears in her eyes or simply with a terrified expression on her face. Occasionally she awoke with screams bellowing from her lungs.

During her nightly episodes, Schuyler was sure that Imogene stayed sound asleep, but in reality, Imogene was awake every night, faking sleep, not knowing what to expect. She tried to be understanding, giving her sister the privacy and space she needed to deal with her situation. But if you know Imogene, you'll know how much of a worried old mother she can really be. It almost hurt that Schuyler chose to keep such a painful secret, but she knew that time would reveal everything. Still, as the time goes by, Imogene has become more worried and irritable.

But there is a final piece to this emotional puzzle. For it was not just her sister sending shivers down her normally stable disposition. Her drawings had taken a dark turn. The symbols became more ragged, the scenes became darker and indiscernible. Her art began to frequently display despair and anxiety. In her mind, Imogene knew that something hugely perilous was looming on the horizon. But what scared her most was that she had no idea what was coming.

**Right, well, let us know what you think I s'poooose. :) **


End file.
